By Gus Saltonstall
Before the iconic balloons and floats make their way down Central Park West on Thursday for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they come to life on Wednesday on the Upper West Side.
Crowd favorites such as Snoopy, Ronald McDonald, Smokey the Bear, and the Pillsbury Doughboy will all be inflated the day before the parade.
There are also 13 new balloons and floats in the 2024 parade: Minnie Mouse, Noorah & The Elf on the Shelf, Gabby, Goku, Paw Patrol, Spider-Man, Candy Cosmos, Dora’s Fantastical Rainforest, Magic Meets the Seas, Pasta Knight, SpongeBob SquarePants Garriage, Wednesday Feat, and the Wondrous World of Wildlife.
Here’s what to know about the inflation event, which is free for the public to attend. You do not need a ticket.
Time
- Wednesday, November 27 from 1 to 6 p.m.
Location
The inflation event takes place outside the American Museum of Natural History from West 77th to 81st streets, between Columbus and Central Park West.
There is an ongoing construction project to install an elevator at the 81st Street and Central Park West B and C station, but the MTA removed staging equipment from the corner in recent days. The materials are expected to return after the Thanksgiving Parade.
Entrance and Exit
All guests for the inflation event must enter through a secure checkpoint at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue. Once you enter, there will be volunteers along the route to point you in the right direction.
The line for the checkpoint entrance will open at noon on Wednesday.
After viewing the balloons, people can then exit along any block from West 82nd to 86th streets.
Other Information
There are a variety of items prohibited from the inflation-event viewing area, including umbrellas, backpacks, large bags, chairs, alcohol, drones, and e-cigarettes.
The closest subway station to the entrance point is the B and C stop at 72nd Street and Central Park West.
Here are the Wednesday and Thursday local street closures to know about — HERE.
Finally, an illustration showing the inflation event route.
You can find out more about the inflation event — HERE.
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It would have been nice to hear Macy’s and UWS community leaders assure people that the huge lines on Columbus that were unorganized and hours long with people being told that if they were on line by 6 pm that they would get in only to not get in would not happen this year. That steps were being taken to prevent the kettling, profiling of people and stop and frisks of people coming to view the balloon inflation that occurred last year. That policies were clarified as to stuff like photography, standing around the area where the Mayor’s press conference takes place at around 5 pm because there were also issues surrounding that last year. But alas neither the UWS community leaders nor Macy’s care despite disappointed fans. It would be nice to see Macy’s and UWS community leaders empathize with disappointed fans and welcome them back this year after how badly last year’s balloon inflation went.
Old Mr Hussey would be appalled, I think, at how the parade prep has ballooned (pun intended) into the mess you describe. Back in the day, it was a relatively simple event: a couple of hundred UWS neighbors would either visit a friend who had a window on 77th St overlooking the inflation, or stand on the sidewalk in the cold, oohing and aahing and sipping from Thermoses of hot beverages. It was magical and fun then; it isn’t now. Too bad.
As a UWSer who voted for Maria Danzilo as my first choice in the 2021 primary, if Sara Lind were to run again against Gale Brewer in 2025 and would raise awareness and work with the Mayor to address these concerns about the balloon inflation and parade, Sara Lind would have my vote.
What happened last year was an outrage, you had unconstitutional stop and frisks that occurred where fans of the parade were profiled and targeted, yet the pro Palestinian protesters were let through by the NYPD and glued themselves to 6th Avenue and you had anti-Semitic protestors running amok and little was done to stop them.
Hard pass on this event these days. Used to be good.
It’s poorly organized and I don’t understand why it needs such an intense police presence. As an outside observer it looked like it was mainly a nice perk for the cops who got to work it and their visitors. Maybe they should move it to Central Park.
Not only an intense police presence, but police presence where individuals are being followed for several blocks and then subject to unconstitutional stops and frisks despite not doing anything illegal or not having ties to nefarious actors. Seeing what I have seen, I will not attend a future balloon inflation or parade until Gale Brewer and company address these concerns and make it clear that people who were treated unfairly and unjustly last year were welcome to a future balloon inflation and parade. When all of the comptroller, borough president and mayoral candidates come to the AMNH farmers market or the 72nd Street subway stop next year to ask us to sign petitions or ask us to vote for them, this is the issue I will be discussing with the candidates.
Amazing the inflation-event viewing is now at 1pm – 6pm on Wednesday … remembering back in the 60’s it was all night into Thursday (Thanksgiving day), but that when no one knew about what was going on up here on the UWS and it was a very few of us back than. Later in years they started to shorting the viewing to midnight than 11pm than to 10pm then to 9:pm and 8pm, now 6pm + 100,000 people later!
I would not be against the idea of having advanced reservations required for the balloon inflation, that would be a good policy response to all the issues that have arisen especially last year.
Way too crowded to go to anymore.
No one goes to that event anymore. It’s too crowded!
If they want a parade, let them parade in front of the oil drums in Moonachie (also happens to be where Macy’s studio, which puts the parade and the fireworks together is located)
I have lived in the west 70’s for the past 45 yrs. Back in the day we walked over there and enjoyed watching the balloons being inflated without all the non sense that has transpired in the last 10 plus years.
I have avoided being anywhere near it.
Same with the Marathon and the parade itself. It’s just not enjoyable anymore.